MUCH has been said and written about the Australian cricket team
this week. The Australian Cricketers' Association, as the
representative body of past and current first-class cricketers in
Australia, has been inundated with letters, emails and phone calls
from all over the world.

Many have been positive but just as many have been negative.

This issue has now reached a point where the parents of Ricky
Ponting, the captain of the Australian cricket team, have been
subject to threatening and abusive phone calls by anonymous
callers.

The events of this week have led to the Australian team being
labelled arrogant, unsportsmanlike, disrespectful and, worst of
all, liars and cheats.

To his credit, Ponting has publicly conceded there were elements
of the team's performance in the second Test that, in hindsight,
they would have done a little differently.

Like anyone, our players do not get everything right all of the
time. They do, however, get things right the vast majority of the
time, on and off the field.

As Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland rightly
pointed out, Test cricket is not tiddlywinks. It is a true test of
not only players' skills but their mental and physical
toughness.

These are traits that Australia as a nation has been built
on.

As a nation we do not accept second best. We strive with every
ounce of our beings to be the best in the world.

The Australian cricket team plays the game hard but fair. They
test their opponents in all three of the above areas  skill,
mental toughness and physical toughness  but rarely nowadays
cross the line.

FACT 1: the Australian team was one of four nominees for
the ICC's Spirit of Cricket Awards at the September 2007 awards
ceremony. With Ireland being one of the other nominees, the
Australian team was considered to play the game in a better spirit
than at least seven other ICC full members.

FACT 2: the Australian team is the only team in
international cricket that has introduced its own "spirit of
cricket" pledge.

FACT 3: Brad Hogg's report in the Sydney Test is the
first time an Australian player has been charged under the ICC Code
of Conduct in 13 months.

FACT 4: Ponting has actively sought to introduce a
practice among all international teams in which the word of the
fielder is accepted in instances of close catches. This has been
largely rejected by other international teams, though it must be
noted that the Indian team has accepted it for this series.

These facts are hardly in line with the accusations being thrown
at the Australian team this week.

Off the field Australian team members are outstanding
contributors to society.

Ricky Ponting and his wife, Rianna, have raised $3 million for
the Children's Cancer Institute of Australia in four years.

Adam Gilchrist has been a patron of Ronald McDonald House for
more than eight years. He's also an ambassador for World Vision,
helping impoverished children in Australia and India, and just two
weeks ago he wore pink wicketkeeping gloves during the Boxing Day
Test and raised $130,000 for the McGrath Foundation.

Matthew Hayden is an ambassador for the National Breast Cancer
Foundation; he raises money and awareness through using a pink bat
grip.

There are many more examples I could give.

These players find time to meaningfully contribute to many
worthy causes despite the fact that they are away from home for
most of each year.

All involved in Australian cricket have spent significant time
this week reflecting on the unfortunate events of the Sydney Test
match.

Administrators and players alike are listening to the public's
point of view and striving to improve in all aspects of the
game.

In return we ask the Australian public to reflect on the events
of the past week and consider whether the Australian players really
are arrogant, unsportsmanlike, disrespectful, liars and cheats.

Or if, as is the case, they are ultra-professional, hard but
fair, passionate, generous, successful examples of what most
Australians strive to be.

Paul Marsh is the chief executive of the Australian
Cricketers' Association

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